Solidify
by mochamaker
Summary: A night of musing for Maura Isles-Rizzoli


I do not own the characters of Rizzoli and Isles, and I'm not making a profit off their usage in this here tale of…well whatever it is.

Rated T to M

POV Maura Isles-Rizzoli

A prequel to Judicious Jane

**Solidify**

The cold air, blowing gently through the valley, brushes my cheeks in a bitter and crisp caress. My face ceased being warm the instant that I stepped outside the house. I informed my wife that I needed a moment. She nodded her acknowledgement, then returned to the kitchen under the guise of passive indifference. After a year of marriage, she was used to my need for independent solace, and backed away to let me have my space.

So, with no further explanation, I walked out with only my jacket adorning my shoulders, my scarf and beanie hat still setting on the coat rack by the closet. As I stepped outside, I immediately noticed the moon, so full and bright for such a still winter's night, peeking through the clouds and lighting up the yard before me. Releasing a sigh, I used the sleeve of my coat to wipe off the porch swing of snow and ice chips, and then I eased down onto the smooth wood of seat of the swing, not really caring if the cold wood chilled my thighs through my sweats.

Shifting around slowly on the smooth wood, I sat back, staring out at the ice and snow covered grass, the moonlight reflecting off the surface giving the night a bluish tint. As the clouds moved up in the heavens, covering and then uncovering the moon, I watched as the nighttime shadows flowed over the still land laid out before me for my viewing pleasure.

Gazing out, my eyes taking all before me, the unfamiliar winter landscape, and I let my thoughts whirl in my head. The stillness of the night acting as my soundtrack, and the puffs of my breath, the only source of warmth, acting as my smoke screen to reality. On this cold, winter's night, it was easy to realize that I was mortal and insignificant to the world around me.

The still silence of the night soon became too much for me. In an move of impatience, I pushed off from the porch beneath my feet, and set the swing beneath me moving in a gentle, rocking motion. The creaking of the porch swing disrupted the silence and eased my sudden uncomfortable thoughts. The swing moorings were old and in desperate need of an oil treatment. A task that Jane will surely undertake, she loves to get her hands dirty and fix things around our house in Boston.

Thoughts of Jane, fixing various things around our house popped into my head, and I smiled. She gives me space, but I know she's in the kitchen pacing in front of the sink, it's what she does. Jane takes life in stride, never showing how upset or concerned she might be while in public. But when she's in private, she fidgets and paces, any movement to relieve her mind of the overwhelming tension. I love that about her, that she's a delicate balance of strength and weakness.

My cheeks began to tingle, my fingers, wrapped tightly inside my jacket sleeves, began to feel numb. I gave another push, the frozen world before me moving as I moved. After several pushes, I managed to barely cringe at the resounding squeak of the metal joints, and the old wood of the swing bench, shifting and rubbing together as gravity pulled.

I breathed deeply, inhaling the crisp, clean air, feeling the burn within my lungs as the cold air swirled through my brochi. Lifting my feet, I let the swing ease into a sedentary position. I imagined Father Time ticking his clock, letting time creep by as the night once again became a silent and still haven.

Thoughts of Jane, wrapping her arms around me as I entered the house, warmed me. The chill of the night receded from my body. So, with tingling fingers, I thumbed my wedding band and stood up from the swing. It was time to leave my perch and go back inside to my wife. Looking in the window, I met Jane's stare and smiled.

Love looked back at me through the slim sheen of frost.

I might be insignificant to the world, a mere mortal, with my days numbered and ticking by. But to my wife, I am significant, and that's all that matters to me tonight. Without a backwards glance at the moonlit landscape, I entered the warm house and immediately wrapped Jane tightly in my arms, kissing her deeply.


End file.
